Kapow Toys has updated their blog with news on the DOTM toyline. Of particular note is the Ultimate Optimus Prime with trailer. Optimus Combines with his trailer, yay. Below is the full blog post from Kapow Toys:

New Dark of the Moon UK Toy Fair product breakdown
No pics as not allowed but here are the general products from DOTM you can expect with a little more info

MECHTECH

1) Transformers Movie 3 Mechtech Deluxe Assortment

New Mechtech weapons system features an assortment of new key transformers movie 3 characters. Includes new deployable mechtech weapon system that works with other mechtech assortments. Deployable weapons attach and convert in both modes

2) Transformers Movie 3 Mechtech Voyager Assortment

New Mechtech weapons system features an assortment of new key transformers movie 3 characters. Larger scale voyagers include bigger mechtech weapons that can be attached at multiple points in both robot and vehicle mode.

3) Transformers Movie 3 Mechtech Leader Assortment

Largest scale movie themed Mechtech weapons provide the most features in the mechtech system. Weapons include light and sounds and attach into large scale converting characters in both robot and vehicle modes. Weapon conversion deploys when attached.

4) Transformers Movie 3 Ultimate Optimus Prime

Movie 3 features Optimus Prime driving into battle with his weapon trailer. Trailer converts into Mech suit that powers up Optimus Prime. Try me packaging with lights and sound. Optimus Prime has several ports to armor up with Mechtech weapons from other characters.

Cyberverse - ( Scout and Legends class with extras )

1) Cyberverse Legion Assortment

Create the massive and immersive transformers world. Cyberverse Legion delivers smaller scale key characters and aspirational styling that is seen throughout the transformers world. This is the entry price point for Cyberverse and Transformers.

2) Cyberverse Commander Assortment

Create the massive and immersive transformers world. Play out the heroic story with a collection of larger scale more prominent figures from the transformers world. Large roster of key recognisable characters drive collectability

3) Cyberverse Ark Playset

The Cyberverse Ark is the capstone of the Cyberverse world. The Ark provides 2 in 1 play as it converts from vehicle mode to battle station. Includes light, sound and projectiles as well as multiple battle scenario play. Also includes a figure.

4) Cyberverse Action Set Assortment

Multi configurable sets have a variety of modes an include legion or commander sized figures. Sets have a wide range of features including weapons, accessories, ramps and gunner stations. Connect 2 or all 6 together to build out your ultimate world.

Robot Heroes

1) Robo Fighters - can you say Action Master ???

Traditional Action figure play with simply push button activiation in robots chest reveals special weapons and gear for each character. Assortment includes top tier characters like Bumblebee and Optimus Prime that children love.

2) Activators

Great introduction to the transformers fantasy and conversion play. Simple push button activation allows kids to change back and forth from vehicle to robot mode.

3) Go-Bots

Pull back and go in both robot and vehicle mode.

4) Revving Robots assortment

Introduction to Transformer brand with great crash and bash play. Big demonstratable weapon is kid activated through shoudler trigger. Weapon has lights and soundthat get bigger brighter and louder the more kids play with it.

5) Bash Bots

Head to head battle play with more than meets the eye magic. Pick your opponent and engage in battle. Push the trigger for automatic vehicle to robot conversion. Knock your opponent off of their base for ultimate victory. Top tier characters Optimus Prime, Bumblebee , Megatron and Starscream.

6) Optimus Prime Cyber Blaster

Key weapon that Optimus uses to takeout the decepticon threat and save earth. Heroic blaster with lights sound and multipe projectiles help children playout the climatic battle scene.

7) Energon Shock Sword

Key weapon used by the nest forces and a key character in the movie 3 battles. Automatic converting weapon converts from cybertronian weapons into the energon shock sword used to protect earth from the decepticons.

8) Battle Mask Assortment

Converting Battle mask with moveable visor for normal to battle mode play. Includes Optimus and Bumblebee.

Movie Speedstars & Stealth Force

1) Mini Chargers assortment - Please be a MASK redux!

Create your own battles with the Stealth Force mini chargers . These 1/50 scale vehicles include manual weapon reveal and come complete with figure for out of the pack battles.

With the push of a button Bumblebee unleashes a fury of offensive and defensive weapons in a dramatic reveal. Also with lights and sound for more realism, only this Bumblebee with allow boys to play out full vehicle battling.

New pictures of the all new version of deluxe Skids for Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon have been posted to ACToys.net by member b-o-t. This new version of Skids features the new, black paint scheme we've seen from the set pictures and is also noticeably smaller than the last figure from Revenge of the Fallen (and the Hunt for the Decepticons line) as seen in the size comparison. The new figure also includes the latest Hasbro gimmick, Mech Tech, add on guns and weapon accessories that may or may not actually mimic what we'll see in the movie.

The Dark of the Moon toy line is expected to be released in May and be previewed next month at Toy Fair in New York. To see these latest pictures, click HERE.

Hi - Here is a quick update from http://www.bigbadtoystore.com about a ton
of new arrivals and some more new preorders. Take a look at all the
arrivals here:

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NEW ARRIVALS
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BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 07
We have just received these long-awaited figures. Series 07 includes Mera
with Dex-Starr, Black Lantern Superman, Black Lantern Terra with Scar and
Sinestro Corps Arkillo, complete with ripped-out tongue necklace. The set
is available for $59.99, or singly at $16.99 - $18.99 each.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=469&category=1212

BBTS EXCLUSIVE THUNDERCATS BENGALI STATUE
This new 10" statue of the siberian tiger Thundercat wields his Hammer of
Thundera and stands atop a rocky outcropping. We have him available as
the Limited Edition statue (350 pieces worldwide) at $199.00, and also as
the Artist Proof edition (50 pieces worldwide) at $215.00.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=bengali

AERIAL TEAM APPENDAGE ADD-ON KIT
This add-on set turns your Energon (,etc.) Aerialbot set into a truer ,
more accurate form of Superion. It includes parts that transform into
weapons and accessories for the various planes, and
they form feet, hands and more for the gestalt version. This set is
listed at $69.99, and if this shipment is anything like the previous ones,
these sets are sure to sell out quickly.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=FPJ10005&mode=retail

MP-M02 MASTERPIECE MOVIE BUMBLEBEE - JAPAN EDITION
This Japanese version is painted yellow to match the character on screen,
and includes a number of special features such as light-up eyes and cannon
in robot mode, light-up cannons in vehicle mode and a battle mask. This
import version of Bumblebee is listed at $159.99, and stock is moving
fast.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11168&mode=retail

TRANSFORMERS UNITED
Our first shipment of the import version of the Generations line has
arrived, and have been very popular. These figures have style differences
from the Hasbro versions, from metallic paint to different colored
accessories and detailing. A few figures have already sold out, but we've
still got stock of Cliffjumper, Straxus, Megatron, Optimus Prime and more
- take a look at the menu and grab your favorites before they're gone.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2339&category=7066

BATMAN 13" FIGURE - JUSTICE
This new 1/6 scale version of the Dark Knight is designed from his look in
Alex Ross' Justice miniseries. Done in black and grey with a serious look
on his face, he comes with alternate hands, a batarang and a display base,
and is listed at $84.99, saving you $15 off of the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=DCC11205&mode=retail

MARVEL SELECT DEADPOOL - SET, REGULAR SINGLE, VARIANT SINGLE
The Merc with a Mouth has arrived at our warehouse. This assortment
included more of the variant maskless figure than what was originally to
be shipped, so we now have that version available singly as well. We have
the regular version listed at $17.99, the variant at $21.99 and the set of
both at $39.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=marvel+select+deadpool

MARVEL UNIVERSE 2010 SERIES 06 - CASE, SET, SINGLES
This long-awaited series has finally arrived. The set of 5 includes
Thanos, Constrictor, Iron Man 2020, Dark Hawkeye and Yellowjacket, and is
listed at $69.99; we also have a case of 12 with returning favorites and
more, priced at $99.99. Finally, we have singles available of all of the
new singles except for Thanos, priced at $14.99 each. in addition to the
new singles, we have plenty of previous figures as well, like Team X
Wolverine, Iron Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Juggernaut and more, so check out
all of the available figures and grab your favorites.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=1103&category=5226

AME-COMI CATWOMAN VERSION 01 PURPLE SUIT VARIANT, ARTEMIS
This version of Catwoman is wearing a shiny purple leotard and boots, and
has her whip held above her head, curling to the floor. Wonder Woman's
fellow Amazon Artemis is wearing black armor with green clothing and has a
broadsword, with her wild red hair flowing. Each piece is listed at
$49.99, saving you $10 off of the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=75&category=3813

MARVEL MINIMATES WAVE 37 - SET OF 8
The newest assortment of Minimates includes Professor X in his hoverchair
with Warpath in his X-Force Outfit, the six-armed version of Spider-Man
with the Lizard, the Thing with a Doombot and variant Trenchcoat Thing
with a Doombot. This set is listed at $29.99, $6 off the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=DMC11436&mode=retail

HALO: REACH JUN PLAY ARTS - KAI, EMILE, NOBLE SIX
Jun and Emile have joined her Noble Six in Series 01 of the Play Arts Kai
Halo: Reach figures. The Jun figure comes with alternate hands, a grenade
and a sniper rifle, while Emile has alternate hands, an ammo vest, a
grenade and a shotgun, and Noble Six comes with alternate hands, a grenade
and his standard gun. Each figure is listed at $49.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10222&mode=retail

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE STATUES - BATMAN, CATWOMAN
The Caper Crusader and his feline ally-enemy are the most recent releases
in the DC Universe Online series. Designed by Jim Lee, these statues
stand 7.5" (Batman) and 7.25" (Catwoman) tall, and are priced at $69.99
and $64.99 respectively, saving you $10 each off the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=DC+Universe+Online

BTS-03 G1 PRIME MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP RESTOCK
This fast-selling set is now back in stock. Not only does it include the
Jetpack, alternate hands, the clear orange axe and more, but our set comes
with a BBTS exclusive clear blue version of Prime's rifle as well. This
set is listed at $21.99, and looks great on the G1 Prime or his
mold-sharing brothers.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=BTS10001&mode=retail

JLU 2010 THREE-PACKS SINGLES
We have received a replacement shipment for the original assortment, and
although we have been told we will not be able to get the Warlord or Gray
Ghost three-packs, we have now got stock available of the Green
Lantern/Manhunter/Manhunter, Despero/GL/Katma Tui,
Batgirl/Penguin/Nightwing and Livewire/Superman/Weather Wizard three
packs, priced at $15.99 - $26.99 each.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=137&category=1846

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NEW PREORDERS
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MOVIE MASTERPIECE 1/6 SCALE IRON MAN MARK V
Hot Toys has announced their latest figure from "Iron Man 2", the Iron Man
Mark V. This version comes with swappable chest plates, an alternate
battle-damaged arm, alternate hands, the armor suitcase and more, and is
currently listed at $199.99, although that price may decrease once a
domestic supply is found.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10326&mode=retail

STAR TREK EXPEDITIONS GAME
NECA and Wizkids are releasing their first Star Trek Heroclix game. This
self-contained set is for 1-4 players who work together to solve a
mystery, which changes with each playthrough. The set includes clix for
Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Uhura as well as the Enterprise and a Klingon
Battle Cruiser from the 2009 movie, and the set is priced at $44.99, $5
off the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=nec11493&mode=retail

PERFECT EFFECT TRANSFORMER ACCESSORIES - PE-05 & PE-06, PX-03, PX-03 &
PX-04
A number of new listings are up for Perfect Effect TF add-ons. We have
the PX-03 Backpack, which is a red and blue recolor of the Shadow Pack and
is a great way to add the other figures to your larger Classics
characters, and is priced at $16.99. The PX-03 & PX-04 Ultimate Form Set
adds Ejector, Rewinder, the Sun and the Night to the Backpack (the former
are new versions of Blaster's cassettes, while the latter are recolors of
later exclusive tapes) and is priced at $99.99. Finally, we have also
listed the PO-05 & PE-06 set, which includes Ejector and Rewinder by
themselves, and is listed at $59.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=perfect+effect

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS SERIES 17 - CASE OF 8
We have now listed a case assortment for the upcoming DCUC Series 17.
This assortment includes White Lantern Hal Jordan (may possibly be
randomly replaced with the Black Lantern version, but we don't have
verification of that at this time) along with Violet Lantern Wonder Woman,
Indigo Lantern the Atom, Blue Lantern the Flash, Sinestro Corps Scarecrow,
Orange Lantern Lex Luthor, All-Star Martian Manhunter and All-Star
Superman. This case is priced at $114.99 and is to contain all of the
pieces to assemble the CnC Anti-Monitor figure.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MAT12591&mode=retail

MLB SPORTSPICKS SERIES 28 - CASE, SINGLES
The first of two new Sportspicks assortments this week is the MLB Series
28. This wave includes Andre Ethier, Buster Posey, David Wright 2, Jason
Heyward, Kevin Youkilis 3, Mariano Rivers 3 and Ryan Howard 2, and they're
available singly at $11.99 each or as a case with a Chase or Collector
Level figure for $84.99. This wave also have a Mass Assortment version,
with singles of Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzales, with each
figure listed at $11.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=499&company=0&category=7214

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPORTSPICKS SERIES 03 - CASE, SINGLES
This series includes popular stars of today, in their college football
uniforms. This assortment includes Adrian Peterson 2, Beanie Wells,
Charles Woodson, Joseph Addai, Ndamukong Suh, Tim Tebow and Troy Polamalu,
and each is available singly at $11.99 or as a case with a Chase or
Collector Level figure at $84.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=497&company=0&category=7215

GUNDAM 1/48 SCALE MEGA CHAR'S ZAKU II
The second in the Mega Scale line of 1/48 model kits has been listed.
This time, it is Char's red Zaku II, a perfect foil to the
previously-released RX-78-2. It stands 14" tall when completed and is
listed at $129.99. Be sure to check out the Gundam directories for other
new listings - we just listed 38 new and returning sets, like the 08th MS
Team RX-79 vs Zaku II set, a restock of many 1/144 scale Seed and Seed
Destiny kits, and 7 EcoPla kits, which are black kits of familiar Gundams
made out of remolded leftover sprues from previous kits.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=BAN13520&mode=retail

EVANGELION 2.22 YOU CAN NOT ADVANCE DVD, BLU-RAY
The second movie in the rerelease of the Evangelion tetralogy has been
listed for pre-order. This movie includes updated animation as well as
new characters and more, and we will have it on DVD for $29.99, and on
Blu-Ray for $34.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=evangelion+2.22

FUNKO POP ROCKS FIGURES
Funko is expanding their 3.75" figure line with POP Rocks, a new series
starring the biggest names in music. The first figures to be listed
include Jimi Hendrix, two versions of Elvis, the members of KISS, Bob
Marley, Ozzy Osbourne and the members of Run DMC. Each figure is listed
at $8.99. While you're at it, be sure to check out the Plushies of Run
and DMC, as well as Wacky Wobblers of KISS and Elvis Plushies, each under
their menus.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=POP+Rocks

NEW BIF BANG POW! 8" FIGURES - LOST, VENTURE BROTHERS, TWILIGHT ZONE
We have listed two waves each of Lost, venture brothers and Twilight Zone
Bif Bang Pow! 8" Mego-like figures. Lost Series 03 includes Jacob & the
Man in Black, while Series 4 includes Sawyer & Juliet. Venture Brothers
Series 03 has Henchmen 21 & 24, and Series 04 includes Hank venture & Dr.
Girlfriend. Twilight Zone new sets include the Doctor & Henry Bemis and
Talkie Tiny & Willy; each set of two is listed at $44.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Bif+Bang+Pow+8%22

DOCTOR WHO MAXI BUST SERIES 02 - THE MASTER, CAPTAIN JACK
Two new 8" maxi busts are on their way allowing you to add more Doctor Who
characters to your shelf. This wave of 3/4 length busts includes the
Doctor's nemesis the Master in his newest incarnation, along with ally and
Torchwood leader Captain Jack Harkness. Each of these busts is priced at
$64.99, $5 off the MSRP, and should arrive this April.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Doctor+Who+Maxi+Bust

HARRY POTTER - SLYTHERIN SCHOOL ROBE REPLICAS
Following on the popularity of the Gryffindor releases, Museum Replicas
has announced that they will release Slytherin School Robes as well. We
have them in Adult and Young Adult sizes, and they are listed at $139.99,
saving you $10 off the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Slytherin+Robe

KISS DESTROYER MODEL KITS
Round Two is releasing four new model kits based off of the looks in KISS'
Destroyer tour. Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter each have their own 1/10 scale
model where they are standing on a rock base, and the four model kits fit
together to make a great KISS display. Each kit is listed at $29.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Destroyer+Model+Kit

SCHLEICH FIGURES - SMURFS BOX SETS, BAYALA, HISTORICAL WARRIORS
We've listed a number of new items from Schleich. We have new historical
warriors and animals under the New Heroes line of historical figures, new
elvish and faerie figures under the Bayala lines and Smurfs Multi-Pack Box
sets representing different decades in their directory. Check them all
out and grab your favorites.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/company.aspx?company=537&browse=1

ELECTRIC TIKI ANIMATED LADIES STATUES - TINKERBELL, PRINCESS DAPHNE
Electric Tiki has started a new line of Animated Ladies statues from
various fantasy stories. The first two entries are Tinkerbell from
Disney's "Peter Pan" and Princess Daphne from the Dragon's Lair video
game. The pieces stand 12" and 14" tall respectively, and each statue is
listed at $179.99, saving you $20 off of the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Electric+Tiki+Animated+Ladies

For anyone who has been reading Sector 7, and I’m still not sure why I bother with movie-verse related comics, you know what’s been going on. For those who haven’t, I offer you the blurb review below from issue #4.

I have to say, I am not as much of a detail junky as many (like, oh say, the writer in this series). While the series is a ‘somewhat interesting’ step into the past of what is possibly the ‘most interesting’ new part of what came out of the whole movie thing, it is of the movie, and based on humans, so this series probably did/does not call out to many Transformers fans because...well...it doesn’t feature many Transformers. No Transforming robot appears until page 15. Mechs in the previous pages though, yes. No actual named/known Transformer until the 4th to last page. Not much for a giant sentient robot fan to enjoy there.

And then there are those who will buy anything comics, merchandise, and/or toys with the Transformers name on it. I tend to be that way with comics, mostly because I think I am still looking for that perfect Transformers story. Sector 7 is not that story, but could be of interest to SCI-FI/conspiracy theory/X-Files type fans. But not so much Transformers fans (minus HARDCORE movie fans, you know who you are).

The writing of the series is not entirely bad. It certainly has not stood out to me to be distracting, or entirely ground-breaking, just the writing is doing a good job doing what writing should do... help to clear up the details in the story that the art work does not make clear, using dialogue, setting narration, etc. Except the German parts in this issue have started to irk me. I now find that piece of the writing to be utterly annoying--no translations--you can guess some phrases meanings, but many go unknown or unexplained. German dialogue is a large part of many of the last 10-12 pages.

Anyway, issue #4 continues telling Sector 7 history as family members of its original 7 continue with ‘the family business’ that founding member Walter Simmons started. This time the story is set during 1944. A new Simmons, Bill or Billy, has been asked to carry on in Sector 7 activities and he is none to happy about it. Currently a soldier, he feels he should be in battles fighting the Nazi threat, not participating in “wasting his life like his mother (Margo)”, who we find out in this issue (Five page preview spoiler alert!!!) has passed since we last left her.

Reluctantly, Bill agrees, convinced by his grandfather (General Walter Simmons, Margo’s father), to join a group of 6 other operatives (Yo Joe!) to go behind enemy lines and destroy an NBE (non biological entity) that the Nazis have gotten their hands on, and have started reverse engineering tech from (We all know the United States is the only country responsible enough to have reverse engineered tech from the Transformers, right?). Who is the new NBE under NAZI control? Somebody we already knew about and I was surprised to see based on the earlier issues. Surprises are good in stories, so consider that a plus.

What struck me most about this comic, it was a decent read, but violent. As soon as the mission starts it basically falls prey to the Nazi’s new tech (human-piloted, transforming tank mechs), and Barber (writer) and Kang (artist) waste no time in adding in some gross out elements. Limbs here, missing limbs there, it wasn’t as excessive as January’s INFESTATION crossover is sure to bring about, but it just seemed...oddly placed or even unnecessary. You’re welcome IDW, I may have sold a couple more copies for you there.

How does a guy get his hand blown off (yes, it cauterized the wound, but pain!!!), and still continue on his mission looking no worse for wear (minus a hand)?
-I'm Simmons, Bill Simmons. Chuck Norris can lick my boot straps.

It is meant to be a suicide mission and for most of the group it is--thus, the violence, but not before Simmons carries out the group’s task, and destroys a large portion of the base, along with the projects and people (at least one, pretty cold-blooded killing) involved. However, for Simmons, the act was meant to be totally selfless for his country, but as the Transformer the Nazis were using to reverse engineer weapons from awakens, it destroys the Nazi tech and monster, deliberates, decides humanity may be mostly okay based on a few minutes with Simmons, and helps Simmons to finish his mission parameters, then flies them both away into the wild blue yonder sunset. Happy trails soldiers. Oops, dropped the spoiler there.

The artwork is pretty well done most of the time. It’s crisp and clear, no cluttery details. All lines have their purpose. The humans are able to emote, without looking like they stepped out of Bugs Bunny. The tech, weapons, and armament are nicely, accurately, and again simply detailed. Overall, an enjoyable presentation. I’m a bigger fan of the detailed work done in ‘Tales of the Fallen’, and ‘Nefarious’, if it has to be movie than make sure to put the details in intended in movie designs, but this is good work.

The colors are more vivid than previously seen in other issues, assuming that this is meant to be a progression through time, and previous art and color were meant to represent the eras they were telling stories about. The colors are still limited though, as most of this takes place in a nighttime operation setting, thus using more muted, dark colors. While aboard the plane we have a lot of red, from the emergency lights. So the colors are effectively used to express the settings.

I do have a problem with both of this issue’s covers though. If you didn’t like the Jazz/Hubcap cover of the last issue, I’m not sure how you can like either of these any better. A pile of scrap shooting something--courtesy of the retail incentive cover--, or a tank with legs chasing some soldiers depicted on the regular cover (meant to connect with the other covers to create a dossier of the NBE/Sector 7 activities). Take your pick. The very realistic and detailed, dirty, painted regular cover is the best of the two, but the tank on legs kind of makes it silly (is there commentary in here?), and ruins the presentation of the rest of a beautiful piece of military art. Probably not going to get many Transformers fans interested in a book with either of those designs.

Something about the mech designs as I flip back through the issue. The transformation from tank to mech is fudged...a lot, and the mech modes seem to retain nothing of the tank-- minus the treads/tracks and the cannon. They also seem faster and more maneuverable than the tanks they were, which for experimental tech, is quite amazing, as tanks were fairly high-tech devices for quite awhile. Where did the the hisstank (G.I. Joe) like cockpit come from?

Ultimately, this issue is, as I stated, an alright to fairly enjoyable fiction. If you could read the German phrases than maybe it is even more fun, or meaningful, but without knowing what they translate to is frustrating. I find the book to be a decent short war story with a little bit of robots in there. Not much “Transformers” though.

I have to say, I’m not sure if others enjoy them or not, but I like the final page of the issue, where Agent John Barber (the writer) has his ‘Field Notes’ and explains ideas, relationships, inspirations, and easter eggs along with artist Lou Kang (Mortal Kombat lover here?). I loved this kind of after sharing when WIZARD did it for DC’s Kingdom Come, and then MARVEL did it for their MARVEL’s series. I really like to be made aware of facts, etc., that inspire work, or are hidden in the work that many of us may never even be aware of.

I have read much more exciting issues. I’ve read a lot worse issues and series. This one works as a stand alone story, and as a part of the Sector 7 mini, making it effective for what it is... a book about a group of humans involved with the Transformers and how they evolve over the decades, but not much of a Transformers comic book.

Uberfan Monzo's website, The Obscure Transformers Website hosts some very interesting images from a catalog pre-dating 1985's Toy Fair. In these images we can see some early test colours for some familiar faces:

The full gallery with more images can be seen by clicking on the images above or going here.

So where to begin telling you about Transformers Prime? In less than two short days, many of you will get to experience what I've already watched about a half dozen times. Earlier this week on Monday morning, an unexpected package arrived from The Hub via UPS. I quickly opened up the package and was surprised to see that they had sent me an advance copy of the first two episodes of Transformers Prime.

I quickly got to work writing extremely lengthy and detailed summaries of the first two episodes. I wasn't sure who my review would be competing against so I decided to do summaries instead of a review first in case everyone and their robo-brother did reviews. I figured detailed summaries would be least likely by everyone. My instinct was correct. If you missed the spoilerific summaries I posted earlier this week, you can check them out by clicking on the following links.

Much to my surprise, I really liked the show. I'm not sure what I was expecting. To be honest, I've had Transformers Prime on my mind's back burner. I've been so busy with keeping up with galleries on Seibertron.com that I hadn't really given "Prime" much thought other than making sure news was getting posted about it when necessary. Prior to seeing the show, I would never have believed what my reaction would have been. To sum up my thoughts about Transformers Prime, let me put it like this in terms that Seibertronians will understand loud and clear -- "Prime is like the love child of Beast Wars and the Live Action Films". Basically everything I like about both of those series seems to be here, except without the senseless and cheesy humor.

On November 24th, weekly entertainment trade magazine Variety posted a review of "Transformers Prime". I was hesitant to read what they wrote initially, but after getting through the first paragraph or two I realized that they liked it as well. Their review wasn't quite what I was expecting from a mainstream magazine. I thought for sure that my Transformers warped mind was making me watch the show through rose-colored glasses. Nope -- they liked it and even summed up several of my thoughts.

Variety wrote:As no-brainers go, a Transformers TV show on the Hub -- welding Hasbro's popular toy line into its cable co-venture with Discovery -- ranks down there with making a sequel to the first movie. Yet the product of that assembly line, "Transformers Prime," proves unexpectedly sharp -- better than the movies (admittedly damnation with faint praise), thanks to the arresting CGI animation, which proves especially well-suited to rendering shiny robots and their vehicular alter egos. There's nothing more than meets the eye here, but what does appear is a plenty entertaining addition to this well-oiled moneymaking machine.

Having read such a positive review from Variety, I felt more encouraged to state how much I liked Transformers Prime. The voice acting is superb, the animation looks incredible and uniquely stylized (even if the human animation models are lacking something), the musical score was beautiful, and the aggressive story below me away.

The first two episodes were serious, sophisticated, rather dark and contained various mature themes -- something I was not expecting at all, especially after the somewhat misleading character trailers that The Hub recently rolled out. This show is definitely not geared toward the younger kids like Transformers Animated was. I don't even know what previous series Transformers Prime is most like. I think I'll need to view a few more episodes to decide. I'll tell you what it's not like ... it doesn't have the kiddie feel to it like Animated, it's extremely coherent and not dumbed-down or poorly dubbed like the Unicron Trilogy, it's not simplified or hyperactive like RID, it's not a whiny complaining misguided hippie like Beast Machines, it's not like Beast Wars despite being the closest thing I could compare Prime to, and it doesn't come across like a toy commercial like G1 does at times (sacrilegious, I know).

Transformers Prime doesn't waste any time. Something major happens in the first third of the first episode that I don't think anyone was expecting. I can't wait to see if the second episode truly ended what happened or if there's more than meets the eye awaiting us. I'm still shocked at what happened, especially in the second episode. Crazy!

Knowing that an army of you Seibertronians will be here on Friday evening posting your reviews in this topic, I'll keep the rest of this review to a minimum. Here are some of my final thoughts that I want to share with you to tide all of you over until Friday afternoon when Transformers Prime debuts.

It's in widescreen, though (unfortunately) most of us won't get to watch it in widescreen because most of our Cable companies haven't started airing The Hub in HD yet. Here's hoping for a quick release of this show on DVD, or at least when the toys inevitably come out.

This show has an actual musical score along the lines of the music from the live action Transformers films. It's complex, not repetitive, and it always seems completely appropriate for the scene. Beast Wars suffered greatly in this department whereas it seems to be one of Prime's greatest strengths.

The voice acting is superb in my book. I was pretty geeked about Peter Cullen and Frank Welker reprising their rightful roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively. The rest of the voices seemed appropriately cast. None of the voices seem out-of-place. Everything seems natural. It definitely feels like the animation was done to the voice acting instead of the other way around, which was one of Beast Wars greatest strengths.

The kids weren't as annoying as I had expected. I'm one of those fans that understands the purpose of having humans in the Transformers cartoons. Without humans, there'd be little point to Transformers being "robots in disguise". They're a necessary evil and, in this case, they're handled fairly well. The show is about the Transformers and not the kids -- there seems to be little confusion about that.

"Prime" is dark at times -- some themes that might not be appropriate or suitable for young children. They might even be getting away with some of what happened in the first two episodes because what occurred happened to "robots" and not humans and because it's airing on a cable channel half-owned by the same people who own the Transformers (*ahem* that'd be Hasbro folks). If you question whether or not the show is dark, just ask yourself this ... has the word "cadaver" ever been used in an episode of Transformers before?

The overall mood of the show, or at the very least the first two episodes, is far more serious than we've seen in a long time. I guess this is what makes me keep thinking of Beast Wars. But not all of Beast Wars. Think "The Trigger", "Dark Voyage", "Law of the Jungle", "Other Voices", "Other Visits", and "Code of Hero". Not on an epic scale like Other Voices or a heart-wrenching scale like Code of Hero, but in its own unique way.

The animation has grown on me. There are some things that I don't like. This might be the show's weakest link and one of its greatest strengths. The backgrounds, the complexity of each scene, the transformations, the alternate modes, and the Transformers robots themselves all look incredible. Yet at the same time, I get this feeling like I'm watching the cut scenes in a video game. Something's not quite right and I can't pinpoint it. For the most part though, the show looks incredible. I really like the overall style of the animation even though I have a few issues with it. It is definitely unique, as unique as the style of Transformers Animated is and the style of the live action Transformers films.

Speaking of transformations, they're very fluid -- more along the lines of the live action films. To be honest, I really had to think about this because none of the transformations really stood out to me -- but that's actually a good thing because it means they didn't waste a lot of time forcing the transformations upon you. It just happened and the show went on.

As I've said before, War For Cybertron/Exodus and Transformers Prime are a "forced" continuity meaning that they weren't originally intended to be the same continuity despite what Hasbro tells us. There are a few things that contradict what's already been established in the WFC universe, not to mention a flash back scene in Transformers Prime that uses the Prime animation models and not anything that looks like the WFC designs. I'll consider them the same continuity to humor everyone but they're as forced together as Transformers Cybertron was forced into the Unicron Trilogy.

And now for my thoughts on the characters ...

Optimus Prime - he's basically the same as his movie counterpart. As much as I love Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, I sometimes feel that he takes the role a little too serious. Everything always seems so epic and heavy with him voicing Optimus. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just looking for something to complain about like a typical fan boy. Or maybe he does need to loosen up a little bit.

Megatron - I'm not usually on the Frank Welker-voicing-Megatron bandwagon like many fans are. Every time I've heard him do his "Megatron" voice in recent years, I kind of cringe. His recent Megatron voice is definitely not his G1 Megatron voice, whether it's him or how it's vocoded I don't know. So I was a little reluctant about him reprising the role of Megatron. His voice at the end of the first episode is like his recent Megatron voice that I don't particularly like. However, his voice in the 2nd episode is unlike any other Welker/Megatron voice I've heard before. It's unique to this character and very appropriate. This Megatron is EVIL, a true villain, something that has been missing from Megatron for a very long time. Sometimes I wonder what the difference is between Megatron and Optimus because we rarely get to see Megatron be evil. You do in Transformers Prime and that's why this Megatron has got me wondering if this could be my favorite Megatron since the Beast Wars Megatron.

Arcee - She's a pretty major character in the first two episodes that gets a lot of screen time. She's the bridge that basically brings the humans into the Transformers storyline. She's a very serious Arcee. This isn't your Headmasters "secretary" Arcee or Susan Blu's Animated Arcee. This is an Arcee with an attitude. Not IDW's Furmanized Arcee, but definitely more of a serious warrior Arcee

Starscream - not a wuss. Voice is different than previous incarnations. More like the first live action film than the second. It's unique and not the "screaming" high pitched voice either. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first. I liked it, but I just kept thinking that it's not a voice for Starscream. I was sold pretty quickly on it when I saw Starscream being a complete badass in the first episode when he does something we haven't seen in a Transformers cartoon in a really long time (if ever). Give this Starscream a chance. He might just give previous Starscream incarnations a run for their money.

Ratchet - Jeffrey Combs does an incredible job with this really fun character. This might be the best rendition of Ratchet to date. Picture a cross between G1 cartoon, comic, and Transformers Animated Ratchets -- and the best of each to boot. He's not fond of the human kids, has a sense of humor, grumbles, complains, and still gets the job done. I'm rooting for a Starscream versus Ratchet battle, they both might be worthy of revisiting Simon Furman's Marvel Comics battle between these two characters.

Soundwave - Megatron's here because of him basically, no thanks to Starscream, but we really don't find out too much about him. We don't even really hear him speak, he just plays back a recording of something Arcee said. Hopefully he's more than just a drone.

Bumblebee - more-or-less like his movie counterpart with some added bits from his Animated self. He can't talk, which is one of my few complaints about the show, especially with no explanation about why he can't speak other than via beeps and boops, which Raf can oddly understand. He surprisingly didn't get as much screen time as Arcee did, which I thought was a little odd. I'm sure he'll get his moment in the spotlight in the near future though.

Bulkhead - basically like his Animated character, but without the goofy clumsiness. All muscle it seems. Voice is similar but different. Lots of fun potential with him. Minimal screen time but enough to get a taste of him.

Cliffjumper - seems like a cool character. Not sure that they needed to bring in a Hollywood name to do his voice. His design is one of my favorites in this show. Definitely a risk taker. He was portrayed very well in IDW's Transformers Prime comic and his characterization carried over to the cartoon show.

"Transformers Prime" Production Credits:

Produced By Hasbro Studios

Executive Producers:
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Kline are executive producers. Kurtzman and Orci served as co-writers of the feature films "Transformers," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Star Trek." Kline was also executive producer of the animated series "Jackie Chan Adventures."

Check out this item from eBay seller Old Toy Empire. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

Old Toy Empire wrote:Hello, This auction is for a 1989 G1 Vintage Transformer THUNDERWING 100% COMPLETE. This figure is in very good condition with minor wear. There is some sticker wear and a bit of paint wear. Some paint wear to the black on his head. A nice quality example. 100% unbroken. All parts 100% original and unbroken. 100% original G1. I do not sell remakes, fakes, knock offs, reproduction, imports, or reissues. All my toys are the original ones bought in the u.s. that we grew up with in the 80's. Some weapons may show light wear, nothing bad, broke, or unusual. Some figures may not have all stickers applied. If techs, instructions or inserts are included they may show wear. Thanks for looking and be sure to check out my other items. I have tons of awesome finds!!!!

Check out this item from eBay seller toyslairbest. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

toyslairbest wrote:up for auction is ULTRA RARE!!!!vintage transformers g1 pertender with sell , gun , sword and robot to selling , toys is been used and have played wear and tear condition and the right feet of the robot are missing but is great for collect or display dont miss out!!!!! please see the photos for more details..item sold as it

Check out this item from eBay seller bt_dc. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

bt_dc wrote:You are bidding on a lot of 3 new Transformers Generations deluxe figures that includes Thunderwing, Skullgrin and Cliffjumper. They are MOC on nice cards with some wear (C 7/8 or better) and in-hand. U.S. bidders only (International bidders please contact me before bidding). Bidders with under (10) feedback, please contact me before bidding. U.S. Shipping/Handling on this lot is $11.95. PAYPAL is preferred for this auction. Contact me with any questions. Check out my other auctions to save on shipping. Good luck bidding.

Check out this item from eBay seller Anglo's Toys. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

Anglo's Toys wrote:Up for auction is for this vintage Transformers G1 Fortress Maximus C-114 MIB. Item is used but in good condition. Missing some paperworks and accessories. Toy is in good condition with minimal wear. Box has some wear and tear but box art still looking vibrant. Stickers wear is visible. Master sword missing the handle. Joints are still tight with clicking sound. Styrofoam box has some parts broken off. All items shown in pictures is included in this auction.

Check out this item from eBay seller Anglo's Toys. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

Anglo's Toys wrote:Up for auction is for this vintage Takara Transformers G1 Overlord D-307 MIB. Item is used but in good condition. Missing some paperworks and missles. Instruction manual has a little tape residue. Toy is in good condition with minimal wear. Styrofoam box looks clean with minimal wear. Box has some wear but box art still looking vibrant. Stickers nicely applied. Powermasters chrome has tarnished in certain areas.

Check out this item from eBay seller Anglo's Toys. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

Anglo's Toys wrote:Up for auction is for this pair of Vintage Japanese Transformers Dairu & Zaru. Item comes to you complete with all parts. Weapon is still minty chrome but toy itself has some oxidation. Box is in fairly good shape with no flap crease. Please note that both pieces does not comes with both bio-card and instruction sheet. Please see picture, what you see is what you get

Check out this item from eBay seller sithdaz. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

sithdaz wrote:You are bidding for Transformers

Limited Edition

TAKARA TOMY

MASTERPIECE STARSCREAM MP-3G

Ghost/Clear Version

Brand new and Sealed
Original TAKARA TOMY Product
Highly articulated and posable
Ghost/Clear version
Openning canopy and swing open nosecone
Two different heads
Adjustible thrust vectors
TOY COLLECTIBLE

This item is from fan-favorite and very reputable TFsource.com, which is one of Seibertron.com's sponsors. You should only buy Henkei Ghost Starscream from sellers you are familiar with to help ensure that you are receiving an original and not a knock off.

Check out this item from eBay seller TFsource. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

TFsource wrote:Henkei Classics Clear/Ghost Starscream, and a very limited edition figure only available through the Transformers Generations Book 2 in Japan. Very limited in its release, this piece brings the e-hobby clear Starscream to mind, which was long ago sold out. A great looking chromed and clear combination of everyone's favorite Starscream character.

Each figure is MISB, sealed in its original box, and will be in C9-Mint box condition. Inside contents are mint, as the toy has never been opened and is still factory sealed.

Check out this item from eBay seller TFsource. You can view all of this seller's items by clicking here.

TFsource wrote:This is the exclusive 2010 TFCon Nightbird figure! TFCon is the annual Canadian Transformers convention, and this custom figure is the first time Nightbird from the original G1 series has been brought to life. Transforms from car to Ninja and back, figure is on the smaller side, but still is quite impressive.

After partaking in the Hasbro Q&A program for the past two years, we decided to try something a little different. As some of you know, the restrictions imposed upon the websites can make for some lame questions being sent and for lame answers to be received. This time around, Seibertron.com answers each and every one of the questions that our fellow Seibertronians asked. We did our best to answer the questions as truthfully and straightforward as possible. Please understand when reading the following answers that these were provided by Seibertron.com, and not by Hasbro or any entity associated with Hasbro. The answers were not approved by Hasbro either. The answers are simply from Seibertron.com as we do our best to answer your questions.

It is our hope, that by taking the time to answer the questions you intended to be answered by Hasbro (of which we could only submit two), that many of the more casual fans who visit this site (which far outnumber the die-hard fans) will be able to sit back for the next few minutes and enjoy our attempt at answering your questions to the best of our ability. I'm sure that there are many answers below to which the more casual fans did not know the answer.

All of the answers were provided to the best of our ability. Some of the questions required the use of a magic 8 ball. Some of you might know more than us. Some of you might know better answers; if you do, let us know so that we can be informed as well. By all means, please feel free to discuss the questions and answers on our forums.

Without further ado, here is our attempt at answering the questions you sent us to send to Hasbro. Enjoy!

Leviathan wrote:Hey Hasbro just wondering if the Cycle Sisters (Arcee, Chromia, and Elita-1) do combine and if they do, are you going to post the way to combine them?

nemesis primus wrote:Considering that at Toyfair 2010 your representative announced that arcee combination instructions will be online, with elita-1's recent release when can we expect to see these instructions?

It appears Hasbro dropped the official transformation because it was either too complex or was never really planned out from the get-go with the toys we ended up with at retail. If you check out YouTube, there are several fans who've attempted to come up with some very creative ways to combine these 3 figures. Here are a few examples for you to view:

If there is an official transformation, we may never know. Hasbro has yet to reveal an official transformation despite being asked by fans many times.

Leviathan wrote:Another question is What is it that you plan on doing with transformers as a toyline after the third movie and TF: Prime?

Hasbro has yet to reveal what their plans are for 2012. Hasbro generally only lets us in on what they're through the next 6 to 12 months out.

The Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon toys will most likely start showing up on store shelves in late May about five or six weeks prior to the release of DOTM on July 1st, 2011. Hasbro's Toy Fair 2011 event is most likely on February 12th, the Saturday prior to the official Toy Fair. At this Toy Fair event, Hasbro will most likely reveal their DOTM toy line. It is possible that some of the toys from DOTM might start leaking as early as December 2010 as we've seen in the months leading up to the release of the previous Transformers films.

Is has been stated in several places that we will definitely get a Transformers: Prime toyline. I'd expect to see them on the shelves by the fall of 2011 if not sooner. If I can find some sources stating this again, I'll post them.

GEEWUN wrote:Dear Hasbro,

Will we be seeing any new (unannounced) War for Cybertron Figures in the near future?

Cliffjumper will be released in the next month. After that, it is unknown what their plans are. I've heard rumors of a WFC Starscream toy. I hope they can release this prior to DOTM so that we can get Thundercracker and Skywarp as well. If a Starscream toy is not released by the time DOTM toys hit the shelves, I wouldn't count on one until the next iteration of the Classics Universe is released ("Classics 4.0" if you will). If we don't see one by then, I wouldn't count on ever getting one.

nemesis primus wrote:Would you ever consider creating autobot/decepticon drones based on the create-a-character in war for cybertron that will allow two alt modes?

It would be awesome to have these drones made, but I'm sure these would be way down the list long after well known established characters like Jetfire, Starscream, Jazz, and Shockwave ever get toys of their own. As for the Decepticon drones in the upcoming Transformers: Prime cartoon series, that could be a possibility depending on how large the toy line is fleshed out.

dkreed7 wrote:Are we getting war for cybertron starscream any time soon?
And are the any plans to make more war for cybertron figures?

nemesis primus wrote:Are there any plans to create figures of war for cybertron omega supreme and trypticon?

Hasbro doesn't seem to like the big guys any more. Not sure how Star Wars keeps getting $150 Millennium Falcons and $100 AT-AT and GiJoe keeps getting large playsets, yet they don't think that a $100 or $150 Omega Supreme or Trypticon would sell. Hasbro has stated in the past that large Transformers playsets don't sell or something along those lines. Considering that there hasn't been a Hasbro released Transformers "playset" since 1987 (or 1990 if you want to count the Micromaster bases), I've never been sure where this statement comes from unless it comes from their market-researchers research (best guess?).

Tristar wrote:Are Liege Maximo and The Fallen the same being? If not How did Liege Maximo become corrupt? Why did, if Alpha Trion is one the orignal 13, he Attack Nexus Prime(maximus) In the Transtech Universe? Will any of my questions be answered in fiction in the forseeable future IE in the next year?

The Liege Maximo and The Fallen are two separate characters. In the Transformers: Exodus novel, Megatron references Liege Maximo and his "treacherous" brother The Fallen.

As for the evil Alpha Trion, he is derived from the Shattered Glass alternate universe where the Autobots are evil and the Decepticons are good. It is unknown where the Shattered Glass universe splintered from the mainstream Transformers realities.

Hasbro revealed at BotCon 2010 that they're working on the very details about the "original 13". The artwork they showed for some of those characters at BotCon 2010 was stunning. Hopefully more will be revealed at BotCon 2011. If I recall correctly, Hasbro stated that this part of the mythology will be explored further in 2013.

earltheyeti wrote:I've noticed that the Classics and Generations lines (the nastalgia ones that follow the Generation 1 styling) have stayed confined to the smaller scales (i.e. deluxe and voyager class.) Why is this? Are there plans to produce some figures in the Ultra or Leader class size?
(I, for one, would really go for a G1 style leader class Optimus Prime or voyager class Starscream.)

Kingpun wrote:Would carrying over a Leader class toy from a previous toyline allow for more new Leader class characters to be produced for a new toyline? Like how certain deluxe and voyage characters from Transformers '07 found their way into the Revenge of the Fallen toyline. Or is the marketability and demand for characters in the Leader size scale still too small to allow for one subline alone to carry what would be around 3 or 4 new unique Leader molds, in addition to 2 or 3 reused molds? Allowing for around 6 or 7 unique characters in one line?

Regarding a "Generations" Leader class toy, I think without a cartoon to appeal to the kiddies, it most likely comes down to profits. The deluxe class is the best selling size class of Transformers toys. I'm not sure where the other size classes rank, but I'm sure profitability is a factor as well. I imagine the profit margin is greater on a deluxe class figure versus a leader class figure. Without the cartoon pushing the larger products, I think they'd have a harder time selling the Leader class figures in the Classics line once the fans bought them up.

This is mostly pure speculation on my behalf. I welcome all of you to share your thoughts and feel free to debate this with your fellow Seibertronians.

Bumblevivisector wrote:I have a few related questions about the just-released Generations Darkmount figure. Specifically the fact that his being a Decepticon who'd only appeared in Marvel's Transformers comics meant they had the rights to his proper name of Straxus, and therefore Hasbro couldn't use it. I'd like to know if this will hamper any future efforts to do figures of toyless TF characters created for Marvel continuity, or if some deal has been worked out since then. I'm no legal expert, but considering Hasbro also currently produces Marvel Comics figures, and even a Marvel/Transformers Crossover line, this issue being a stumbling block sounds extremely silly to me.

But if it will continue to be an issue, will it make producing characters from the Marvel U.S. books (ex: Scrounge, Wipe-Out) tougher than ones from the Marvel U.K. series (ex: Impactor, Flame, Macabre)? And will Disney's recent buyout of Marvel Comics add further complications? (I know we'll never see a Transformer actually called Darkwing again)

You released a K.B. Toys exclusive figure called Jhiaxus last decade, despite that being a character created for the Marvel Transformers: Generation 2 series. Was that not a rights issue because the toy was just a random repaint and not a stab at an actual likeness of the character, or did Marvel just happen to not bother copyrighting that particular name?

Hasbro stated something about his name not being able to be used at BotCon 2010. I thought they said something about "Straxus" being the name for another product or company but I can't find anything on Google to back up what I remember. After doing a few other searches, I came up with Straxis.com which is the name of a website development company in Oklahoma. Could this be why Darkmount wasn't called Straxus in the US (similar to Outback being called Fallback due to Outback Steakhouse and Hasbro siding with extreme caution).

My understanding is that Hasbro can make any Transformer based off the Transformers robot characters that appeared in Marvel Comics. Unless Marvel started their own transforming robots comic line, I can't foresee them ever having a use for Spanner, Straxus, Impactor, Emirate Xaaron and other Marvel created Transformers robot characters. However, they cannot use the human characters that Marvel created such as Circuit Breaker, G.B. Blackrock, and Death's Head. Though I wonder about Buster Witwicky.

Fellow Seibertronian staff member Dead Metal had this comment to add to our answer:

Dead Metal wrote:Straxus was called Darkmount due to the Straxus toy Trademark being already taken. Marvel does not own the name or the character, that is part of the deal between Hasbro and the companies that provide fiction. All characters that are created for and first show up in Transformers movies, comics, books and cartoons are the property of Hasbro, and that includes their name and likeness. The only way Marvel could claim ownership to Straxus is if he showed up in a non-Transformers comic before his first TF fiction appearance. Jhiaxus was a Marvel comic Transformer and he's still part of TF fiction and even has a toy. Somewhere out there is a toy with the name Straxus making it impossible for Hasbro to use the name for their own products.

For those of you who don't know, Circuit Breaker (as Circuit Breaker, not Josie Beller) and Death's Head both appeared (albeit extremely briefly) in other Marvel comic books prior to their debut in Transformers comics which is how Marvel retains the rights to those characters.

I am not a lawyer and I do not claim to have legal expertise in the field of copyrights and trademarks. If someone who has more familiarity with situations such as this or can point out examples from other similar situations, please feel free to add your thoughts and comments to this thread to share your knowledge with us.

adamassc wrote:Is hftd Sunspot's coloration a homage or an original design?

To the best of my knowledge, it is an original design. Whether fans like it or not is still up for debate.

adamassc wrote:Can we expect the Powercore Combiner line's five packs to continue being based on previous combiner teams?

My magic 8 ball says "Concentrate and ask again". Joking aside, I'm sure Hasbro will continue to look at past themes used amongst combiners during the brand's 26 year history to see how those themes could be worked into the current Power Core Combiners brand. I'm also sure they'll take a lot of creative liberties that are best suited to this line. "Concentrate and ask again" indeed.

adamassc wrote:Where do the powercore combiners fit in storywise? Are they movieverse, Generations, or a standalone continuity?

This is a damn good question! Magic 8 ball -- what do you think? "Signs point to yes".

Hasbro answered this question for ASMzine.com recently: "While the Power Core Combiners have been seen in the movie-verse continuity, established in a Cyber Mission web episode, they basically exist on their own. For reference, the episode is currently available on http://www.transformers.com?r=seibertron and http://www.hubworld.com. The concept of Power Core Combiners can also translate to other continuities similar to Mini-Cons."

EdgeAsus wrote:What other Human Alliance toys are going to be coming out other then the Black Sideswipe? Also How many more Generation ones are going to be coming out other then the obvious?

I'm pretty sure the black Sideswipe is the last in the Human Alliance line for the time being. I wouldn't be surprised to see the concept revisited with the Dark of the Moon line next summer, but nothing has been announced officially yet pertaining to this. Stay tuned!

Depends on your definition of the obvious. We've seen images of the figures through an early spring release. What we haven't seen yet is what's going to come out March through May -- if anything at all. Perhaps Hasbro has a few more tricks up their sleeves before Dark of the Moon hits store shelves in late spring / early summer 2011.

noodles2go wrote:Are you going to continue with the Power Core Combiners line?

Have we seen anything past the end of this year? I think all of the new PCC toys that we are aware of are scheduled to be released by January 2011. I'm not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign for the Power Core Combiners line.

After doing a little bit of homework on Google, I found that Hasbro recently answered this question for ActionFigurePics.com: "Currently the plan is to continue the Power-Core Combiners line up until the release of the Movie 3 line with new teams and figures."

noodles2go wrote:Is the quality control in the Power Core Combiner figures going to be better? Many people have complained of loose ball joints, too tight or too loose power link joints, as well as drones not properly automorphing as they should. I have experience this on many occasions myself, and have had to return a couple items due to this.

Quaternion wrote:Hasbro,
How do you plan to improve quality control?

For example, I've returned MP Grimlock twice now for different QC issues and others have QC issues with this $70 figure as well: /energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68503. If I pay $70, I expect acceptable quality.

Cheetron wrote:Across every line of Transformers product we've seen a multitude of Quailty control failures. From paint aps, to poor designs, to the wrong parts in the wrong position and even your products have broken due to the very thin plastic they're made of. My question is: Are you planning to improve on this and make you toys better?

It's early for me and my mind is foggy. If anyone want to improve on this, please make it sound better. lol.

I'll answer this with Hasbro's own quote from October 2008.

"Yes we are aware that there has been a rise in collector complaints about certain Transformers products. We can assure you that all products are quality tested to strict controls and it is something that Hasbro prides itself on. Given the huge increase in volume we have experienced in the Transformers range the likelihood of certain products sometimes not meeting consumer expectations slightly increases, however we always try to service our customers needs when a problem arises."

Anyone else care to share their thoughts on quality control issues? What have your experiences been with Transformers quality control?

backpack wrote:Are there any plans to release drone packs for PCC so that we can mix/match create our own teams?

I would safely say the answer to this is "no".

joeformer wrote:Ive asked this a million times with no luck but id like to try again lol. With the addition of the new little mini human figures that come with the screen battles. any chance of making some in scale figures for the generations and movie line with articulation?

backpack wrote:Generations Human Alliance? Yes/No/Maybe So?

I would safely say the answer to this is "no" as well, however, I'm pretty sure this question was asked at BotCon 2010 and we were given the typical "no plans at this time, but is something to consider" answer. I can't seem to find this via Google though. Can anyone else find this quote online?

It Is Him wrote:Re: Generation Red Alert's deco. Why did Hasbro choose toy colors over TV show colors?

Most likely simply to make their product slightly different than Takara Tomy's product. In this case, Takara Tomy's product for the Asian market resembled Red Alert's cartoon colors whereas Hasbro's version resembled the original toy from 1985. I think this was especially important for Hasbro to do since Takara Tomy's version of this toy preceded the Hasbro version by over a year. Many die-hard fans already purchased the Japanese version so by making the Hasbro product different, it gives fans a reason to purchase the new version even if they already own the original version.

Rated X wrote:My question is a follow up to a question asked at the Botcon 2010 Hasbro pannel. The question asked at Botcon was "Why cant the USA get the repaints or redeco's that Takara makes in Japan ?" Hasbro answered the question by stating "The USA has its market and Japan has its market and the two were not meant to combine." A good example in reference to this question is Henkei Classics Deluxe Thundercracker not getting a USA version like his 2 counterparts.

My question is:

Who decides what the "USA market" or "Japan market" should be and what is the process for doing it ???

Sombody ultimitly has to make decisions. Tell us who and how these decisions are made.

This is an interesting question. The first comment I want to make pertains to Thundercracker. I'm almost certain we'll get him at some point. It should just be a matter of time. And patience.

I'm sure a lot of decisions about what products should carry over from country to country depend upon a core group of people at each company. I'm sure profitability plays a large factor in this as well as how to capitalize on each unique market. Profitability isn't a bad word folks. You want these companies to make money. The more money they make, the more Transformers we'll get. And the better Transformers designs we can get because more money can be dumped into research and development.

I also think some of it has to do with when a certain product can be brought to the market. What might be a good time for a product to be released in Japan might not be a good time for a product to be released in the US. I'm sure both companies are very wise to fans such as us using the Internet to import toys from other countries. Why release the identical figure in both countries when you can delay the release and come up with an alternate (or better) paint scheme on the latter release to capitalize on profits? The Red Alert toy mentioned above is a great example of this.

When one thinks of this less from a fan or collector's perspective and more from a business perspective, these types of decisions start to make more sense. Making more sense doesn't necessarily parallel making fans happy so take this for what you will.

Anyone else care to share their thoughts on Rated X's question(s)?

Gandalf wrote:At BotCon this year, someone on the Hasbro panel stated that you were unable to get Generations Thunderwing's "drone" to transform. Why couldn't it have been a Minicon/Targetmaster like with Universe Cyclonus? Would you consider making this drone into a Scout class figure in the future, under a different name if needed?

I think this all comes down to cost and getting this toy/mold to fit within the confines of the deluxe class price range. The more complex the tooling, the more expensive the toy (or the less profitable a toy depending on how the toy is sold or marketed). I think the upcoming Scourge toy is victim of this as well. Someone at Hasbro or Takara Tomy surely had to say "Hey, why aren't we making Fracas to go with this?" I will be the first to point out that my argument here can quickly be flawed simply by pointing out that Nightstick got made with Cyclonus. Maybe this has to do with the changing markets, or the cost of plastic or not enough time to design Thunderwing's drone and Scourge's partner Fracas.

From my personal opinion, I think Thunderwing having a drone would've been confusing in today's market and for many fans unfamiliar with the Pretender concept. It is my belief that the Thunderwing toy, as are any Pretenders homages going forward, are an amalgamation of the Pretender shell and inner robot since the Pretender concept isn't being used.

I wouldn't count on Thunderwing's drone ever being released separately. No need for this.

omega666 wrote:I see custom Transformer figures that improve on the original figures. Does Hasbro ever see these custom figures and try to use the ideas to make newer figures better? (I don't have a specific example)

This would be interesting to know, but I would think legal issues would prevent Hasbro's ability to disclose this answer in a straightforward answer.

What do you think Magic 8 ball?

emeraldbeacon wrote:Many recently-released figures seem to be, either clearly or obscurely, homages to others released in the past. In general, what is your approach towards creating figure assortments, in terms of new and unique designs versus homages to older figures or ideas?

Some recent toys have clear, yet undocumented, interaction capabilities (such as Skystalker/Mindwipe, Seaspray/Breacher, and Lockdown/Ratchet). Are there any other such pairings, either on the market now or coming soon, that the fandom has yet to 'discover'?

These are actually a great set of questions for which I do not have an answer. Does anyone have some light they could shed on these?

dkreed7 wrote:Are we getting war for cybertron starscream any time soon?
And are the any plans to make more war for cybertron figures?

Galvatrondestroyer wrote:will we see anymore WFC figures in Generations? the two i have and the other two ive seen reviews on are really great figures

Please bring on some more!

WFC Cliffjumper, a WFC Bumblebee repaint with a new head, is the last of the WFC figures for the time being. Hasbro hasn't mentioned anything other than (if I recall correctly) a possible WFC Starscream figure but I have a feeling that might have fallen off the radar as they gear up for the Dark of the Moon toyline. It is possible they could be saving other WFC toys for a later date or a possible "Classics 4.0" line after DOTM. Cliffjumper is scheduled to begin appearing in early 2011, which means he should start popping up around the beginning of December at some stores or online retail outlets such as BigBadToyStore.com and tfsource.com.

autobot-jolt wrote:I've got one that's really different, but I'm just curious to know, where did Hasbro get the idea for RPM's?

Hmm ... I can't imagine this has anything to do with giving Mattel some good old fashioned competition at long last? Kind of makes you wonder, if RPMs / Speed Stars is successful, how long it will take for Mattel to come up with a line of transforming robot toys to compete against Hasbro's Transformers to return the favor.

-L- wrote:Any Chance we'll be seing more of the Masters concept (i.e. Head Masters Target Masters or Power Masters) especially after seeing the Success of Generations Cyclonus w/ Nightstick?

It doesn't appear that this trend will be happening any time soon. The most obvious choice would've been Scourge with Fracas, but poor Fracas won't be seeing the light of day any time soon -- at least not in an official capacity from Hasbro. This was such an obvious choice that it almost makes us wonder if they're counting on one of the 3rd part companies to make a Fracas figure for us. Guess ol' Nightstick will have to go play with Scraplets all by himself.

Rodimus723 wrote:Are there be any planes to go back to the original combiner concept, but with modern sculpting techniques?

-L- wrote:Also is there going to be any modern application of the G1 Combiner (using 5ish ACTUAL characters instead of 1 character and 4 drones)?

"While we understand your passion for the traditional combination figures from G1, Energon, etc., however, the great part about Transformers is that things can change over time. So it is not a question of difficulty or costs, but more about how can a great concept like combination be re-imagined and re-invented.

For example, in creating the new Power Core Combiner line, we wanted to establish a "system" of play that allowed kids the opportunity to not only play with the teams of figures, but also have the ability to create their own teams by collecting more and more figures.

Additionally, we also wanted to expand the story line of Combiners, thus the reason and rationale for drones, mini-cons and certain characters all working together as a team."

The Power Core Combiners concept appears to be it for now. Hopefully one day Hasbro will give us Combiners done right in the style of FansProject Munitioner and Explorer and their incredible Bruticus.

More recently, Hasbro answered a similar question but pertaining to G1 combiner reissues in lieu of the Seacons/Piranacon reissue. This answer was originally posted on KittysPryde.com: "We do not have any plans to be re-releasing any of the other classic combiners at this time."

-L- wrote:And Do you think we will be getting a New Fortress Maximus even if it's just the IDW Maximus?

I'm sure Fort Max, and his Decepticon counterpart Scorponok, both have to be on Hasbro's radar to tackle at some point. Hasbro's been working their way through updated versions of our favorite classic 80s Transformers so I'm sure these two have to be in the works or at least an idea on the table.

Would anyone else like to see them use the Energon Scorponok mold but done in his original Headmasters colors as part of the continued "Classics" line?

StarscreamLeader815 wrote:Do you have any plans to release Transformers Animated Wingblade Optimus? It would fit good under the Generations line.

"Unfortunately, we do not have any plans to release these figures in the near future."

"Unfortunately, we do not have plans to release them at this point in time."

Optimus5678 wrote:Are they going to reissue generation one favaroties like Hound, blaster, blitzwing, that takara has done? Would they consider reissues based on japanese characters such as Twin Cast Soundblaster Raiden, Minerva, overlord, go shooter, Artfire, Star Saber, Victory Leo cause these would make some awesome addtions to anyone's collection

Questions similar to this have circulated since the reissues began about ten years ago (hard to believe, huh?). It's a good question, one to which we'd all drool at a real answer, but Hasbro and Takara Tomy have kept the lid shut on this answer. For whatever reason, the Japanese exclusive characters don't seem to do real well as reissues (Ricochet, God Ginrai, and Star Convoy come to mind) so it'll probably take a while for some new ones to get reissued from Takara Tomy.

As for Soundblaster and Twincast I don't foresee Hasbro releasing these ever. I think this is one of those instances where Hasbro knows that die-hard collectors of these characters would've already bought the Japanese version so there's little need to release those Japanese exclusive characters here in the states.

As for Blitzwing and Hound, I'm surprised these didn't get released about 4 or 5 years back when the reissues were real popular as well. I can't help but wonder if the small pieces that are included with both of those figures might be considered a choking hazard and possibly don't meet American safety standards. Or maybe they just never got around to them.

Chupacabra Convoy wrote:1: Will the Classic Three pack that has Rodimus, Cyclonus, and Galvatron ever make it to state side retail stores? Or at the very least, can we see a Generations Armada to go with Cyclonus?

2: Given the popularity of Last Stand of the Wreckers, are any of the "new" characters (Overlord, Ironfist, Impactor, Pyro, Guzzle, and Rotorstorm) are being considered for a toy design? (Not sure if this is against the rules. If it is, I apologize in advance.)

3: Will Thunderwing get repainted as Black Shadow?

4: Can Drift's Toy head be swapped with Blurr's for a Deadshot release?

5: Is the Generations Scourge's alternate head mold Devcon?

6: Do any of the War for Cybertron toys have alternate head molds like the rest of the newer Generations molds?

I'll do my best to answer these but some of these are bordering on the "can't ask about future products" restriction Hasbro has in place on Q&A.

1. The "Challenge at Cybertron" Cyclonus and Rodimus will be coming out in an exclusive two-pack later this year, called "Battle in Space", with a Matrix of Leadership accessory and an exclusive comic book. Galvatron will not be included in this set.

2. We haven't heard anything yet. Considering the lack of Transformers characters that have made it to the comic scene recently yet haven't been translated to toy form, I think we can safely say that the answer to this question is most likely "no", unfortunately. It sure would be nice to get an updated Overlord though, wouldn't it?

3. Thunderwing repainted as Black Shadow would be truly awesome. I doubt Hasbro would do this, though it is possible. I could certainly see Takara Tomy doing this. At a minimum, I could see this as a future BotCon exclusive since Black Shadow falls within the obscure character realm on which the BotCon folks have been focusing. Time will tell. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

4. While it is possible since they could just repaint the Blurr figure white, I doubt Hasbro would do this simple to avoid confusion about the Drift character.

5. Scourge with a new head to become Devcon would be interesting. Not my first pick, but an interesting option nonetheless. I'm hoping for some minor repaints as Sweeps ala Jetstorm and his drones in Beast Machines.

6. Just Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. See one of the above answers for an image of Cliffjumper if you haven't seen him yet. He should be on shelves in about two months or less.

Arlekkin wrote:I saw the picture of Skullgrin on Darkmount (Straxus)'s instruction, and so far I wasn't that impressed, and I was wondering if Hasbro had thought about of doing any of the Pretender's shells in figures like the Battle Beasts, reminiscent of Takara's Masterforce animated series?

Hasbro seems to want to stay away from the Pretenders concept, which is evident from them releasing several homages of Pretenders characters as regular Transformers minus Pretender shells. I'd love to see the Pretenders concept revisited with today's toy technologies as well though. Speaking of Pretenders ... where's Alice from ROTF?

Arlekkin wrote:Another thing which is really annoying me is this. Some characters which in the original series had a cybertronian/futuristic form are getting earth alt modesin Transformers Universe/Generations. Are we gonna see any Cybertronian form in the Generations lines (apart from the War for Cybertron figures)?

Same thing goes for characters like Blaster whose alt forms are tools/appliances. Are we gonna see any transformers in the generations line with such alt forms rather than vehicles?

Hasbro recently answered this question for RavingToyManiac.com: "For the Transformers brand, we are always looking forward to finding new ways to re-imagine our favorite characters. We have not re-released all of the 1980's figures as we believe this would be a stale treatment of our beloved characters. Instead, we look at Transformers as being the most up-to-date technologically advanced sentient beings. Based on this, we feel that they would continually update themselves so that they would remain "Robots in Disguise" versus staying in their 1984 vehicle form and sticking out like a sore thumb!"

Arlekkin wrote:In an interview I've read that someone from Hasbro would like to see a new Rhinox and a new soundwave.... Are we gonna see any new figure from the Beast Wars series in the Generations line?

Hasbro recently answered this question for us in our most recent Q&A: "We're thrilled that fans chose to honor Dinobot during the first Transformers Hall of Fame induction however there are no plans for Beast Wars figures at this time."

Arlekkin wrote:Are we going to get any other repaint or retool of the starscream mold? A nice Sunstorm or a revamped Predator Talon wouldn't look bad in my collection.

There is at least one more planned release of the Starscream mold which is next year's TCC exclusive G2 Ramjet figure. While Hasbro hasn't announced a Thundercracker figure yet, I can't imagine that they'll leave fans hanging for too much longer. I'd expect a Thundercracker release in the next year or two. I'm sure there are a lot of fans that would also like to see someone make a Sunstorm repaint from this mold as well. Keep your fingers crossed!

emeraldbeacon wrote:Some recent toys have clear, yet undocumented, interaction capabilities (such as Skystalker/Mindwipe, Seaspray/Breacher, and Lockdown/Ratchet). Are there any other such pairings, either on the market now or coming soon, that the fandom has yet to 'discover'?

This is all that has been discovered so far. Stay tuned to the news at Seibertron.com to see if other special interactions are uncovered!

"BLADE: TRINITY" ABIGAIL WHISTLER MOVIE MASTERPIECE 1/6 SCALE FIGURE
Hot Toys continues their Movie Masterpiece line with Abigail Whistler, the
daughter of Blade's original mentor. The character was played by Jessica
Biel and has a fantastic likeness of her, as well as a host of weapons and
extra pieces. We have this figure listed at $144.99, $5 off the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10302&mode=retail

TF GENERATIONS 2010 RESTOCK
We've received a shipment of Generations Transformers items and have been
able to restock a number of pieces. We have the Series 04 Case of 8
priced at $99.99, with the Series 03/04 Set of 4 at $53.99. We've also
got plenty of singles of figures such as Cybertron Optimus Prime,
Cybertron Megatron, Red Alert, Cybertron Soundwave and more - check out
all of the in-stock items at the link.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2339&category=6564

STAR WARS FORCE FX LIGHTSABERS
A number of FX lightsabers were also in our latest shipment. These
iinclude the Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker Episode VI, Asajj Ventress and
Anakin Skywalker lightsabers, priced at $99.99 each. We also have a few
each left of the Darth Vader and Darth Maul Removable Blade FX
lightsabers, priced at $114.99 each.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2341&category=6575

REAL MASTERPIECE 1/6 SCALE IP MAN FIGURE
Donnie Yen as Ip Man has now been immortalized by Enterbay in this 1/6
scale figure. from the "Best Film" winner of the 2009 Hong Kong Film
Awards comes the Ip Man figure, which includes multiple costumes as well
as other accessories, and he is listed at $169.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=ENB10034&mode=retail

DC DYNAMICS, DC CHRONICLES SUPERMAN STATUES
Two new Superman statues have arrived. The DC Chronicles version is 6.75"
tall and shows Superman in his original incarnation; this statue is listed
at $84.99, saving you $15 off of the MSRP. The DC Dynamics version stands
11.75" tall and shows Superman in his traditional costume rocketing into
the sky, with his lower cape and legs transformed into a translucent blur
behind him. This statue is listed at $154.99, $39 off of the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=75&category=1897

NEW SONIC THE HEDGEHOG FIGURES
We have received a number of new Sonic the Hedgehog items at our
warehouse. We have the Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic two-pack priced at
$17.99, the 3" Espio and Vector Comic two-pack at $15.99, the Sonic 3"
Figure Series 02 set of 3 (Amy, Silver and Shadow) at $20.99 and the Sonic
6" Super Poser Series 02 set of 3 (Knuckles, Tails and Shadow) at $39.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=1620&company=101

IRON MAN MARK IV 1/6 SCALE ARTFX STATUE
Kotobukiya has released another excellent ArtFX statue in this piece from
"Iron Man 2". In it Iron Man stands atop a Repulsor Transmitter base and
includes LED lights in his eyes, chest, hands and base. This statue is
priced at $99.99, saving you $20 off of the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=KOT10523&mode=retail

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NEW PREORDERS
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KM-02 KNIGHT MORPHER ANNIHILATOR
Master Mind Creations has announced their second figure, a recolor of the
first Knight Morpher named Annihilator. This one has a black and gold
color scheme and comes with extras like pieces of track and even a new
head to go on their first figure, and we have this new one, which is
limited to 2000 pieces, priced at $99.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MMC10001&mode=retail

BLADE RUNNER COLLECTOR'S BOX - BLU-RAY & SPINNER REPLICA
The cult hit "Bade Runner" is getting a new box set. This set includes a
non-region specific Blu-Ray of the Final Cut of the movie as well as a
23.5 cm long replica of a police Spinner vehicle created by Medicom. This
set is priced at $179.99, and should arrive in time for the holidays.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MED10497&mode=retail

NEW CRAZYDEVY ITEMS - CDMW-13, CDMW-14
CrazyDevy has announced two new items, which we now have up for pre-order.
The CDMW-13 Aviation Brigade Power Parts Set includes a new Blast Shield
and and 5.25" gun, along with a new faceplate that will fit on either the
G1 head or the recent CDMW-06 head, to make them more like the cartoon;
this set is listed at $37.99. We've also listed the CDMW-14, the King's
Power Parts Custom Giant Sonic Sword for Predaking, which measures almost
9" long and is listed at $19.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=21&category=34

TRON: LEGACY - DAFT PUNK FIGURES
The European House band Daft Punk is providing the soundtrack to the
upcoming "Tron: Legacy" movie, and they also appear in a scene of the
movie. Medicom has decided to release their in-costume appearances as
Real Action Heroes (each priced at $269.99) as well as coming out as a
Kubrick two-pack at $44.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Daft+Punk

FANTASY FIGURE GALLERY - DISCOVERY STATUE
The next piece in the Fantasy Figure Gallery is Discovery, from artwork by
Boris Vallejo. It shows a tall powerful woman being escorted by a small
creature riding a lizard-like creature. The actual sculpt has been
created by Erick Sosa, and we have it listed at $249.99, saving you $40
off of the MSRP.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=YAM10542&mode=retail

STAR WARS BATTLE PACKS 2011 SERIES 02 - CASE, SINGLES
This new assortment includes new Battle Packs Droids & Clones #1 and Rishi
Moon Outpost Attack, along with Orto Plutonia and Holocron Heist. We have
the case of four listed at $99.99, with the two new battle packs available
at $39.99 singly.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2341&category=6586

STAR WARS VEHICLE 2011 SERIES 02 REVISION 01 - CASE, SINGLES
The new assortment of Star Wars Vehicles incldues new ship the Jedi Turbo
Sppeder as well as Anakin Skywalker's Starfighter, the Hyena Bomber and
Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter. We have listed the case of four at $109.99,
with singles of the Jedi Turbo Sppeder at $39.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2341&category=6579

DOCTOR WHO 2010 5" FIGURE SERIES 03 - CASE, SET, SINGLES
The newest assortment includes returning favorites Prisoner Zero, a
Smiler, Vampire Francesco and the Roman Auton, along with Underhenge
versions of the Roman Auton and the Cyberman, plus Silurian Warrior Alaya
and Silurian General Restac. The set of 8 is listed at $129.99, with the
case of 12 (containing 2 each of the Smiler, Vampire Francesco and the two
Silurian figures) is priced at $169.99. We've also got singles listed of
Francesco, the Smiler and the two Silurians, each at $16.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=380&category=868

REVOLTECH #100 - EVA-01 DX VERSION
The 100th release in the Revoltech line will be the EVA-01 from
Evangelion. It will come with a partial glow-in-the-dark coloring and
include a base made of Bardiel the Angel, complete with an LED light and a
pulled-off arm to use as a weapon. We have this new box set listed at
$44.99, and it has already proven to be a popular seller.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=KAI10335&mode=retail

GI JOE 2011 CASES - SERIES 01, SERIES 02
Due to popular demand, the two new series of GI Joe figures have been
listed as cases as well. The Series 01 case includes three each of Snake
Eyes Version 08, Duke Version 06, Cobra Shock Trooper Version 01 and Storm
Shadow Version 06, while Series 02 includes three each of Destro Version
03, Low Light Version 01, Skydive Version 01 and Shadow Tracker Version
01. Each case of 12 is listed at $84.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2340&category=6573

NEW SCI-FI REVOLTECH - #020 SKELETON ARMY, #021 ANGUIRUS
The most recent announcement of Sci-Fi Revoltech includes two new figures.
From "Jason and the Argonauts" comes the Skeleton Army figure, which
includes a pillared base with skeletons crawling up as well as alternate
hands , weapons and shields. Anguirus, friend and foe of Godzilla, also
gets his own figure, including a rocket and smoke trail; each figure is
listed at $44.99.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Sci-Fi+Revoltech

POWER RANGERS SAMURAI - FIGURES, VEHICLES AND MORE
We have just listed a wide variety of the American release toys for the
upcoming "Power Rangers Samurai" series. We have 4" figures at $8.99
each, a Morphin Action 6.5" Ranger Set of 3 at $34.99, a 1`0" Battlized
Red Ranger at $20.99, Zord Vehicles with Figures at $14.99 each, Power
Rangers Cycles with 4" Figures at $15.99 each, a DX Morhin Vehicle at
$26.99, a DX Megazord at $31.99, role-play items and more - check out all
of the new items at the link.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=342&category=5303

HAMMER FILMS BRIDES OF DRACULA DOLLS
Three Brides of Dracula from the Hammer Film of the same name have now
been made into dolls by Gallery Marketing Group. Lucy, Mina and the
Contessa have each been made into 12" fashion dolls, and we have them
available for pre-order, priced at $139.99 each.http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2485&category=7093

It's been a long day. You're sipping a cold beverage at BotCon 2011 in Pasadena, California. It's one of your favorite times of the year. Not only are you in Transformers heaven, but you've made your trip to the dealer room and unleashed your wallet to buy your holy grail. Now you're hanging with all your buddies from Seibertron.com. You make sure everyone's listening, when you ask the question 'What do you think of the Power Core Combiners? I love those guys!" Everyone around you halts what they're doing. Half of your friends start to scream, while the other half shake their heads in shame. Peter Cullen is even facepalming. The bartender kicks you out for causing the mess, and then... Woah. Let's hold on for a minute here. I'm here to make sure than none of this happens at BotCon 2011, to the person who asked the question, to the friends of that person. and especially Peter Cullen.

The line itself has caused a lot of anguish among Transformers fans the past few months. I've watched forum topics pass by and by. I've tried my best to get a grasp of the situation, and understand the opinions of my fellow collectors. Ultimately I land at the question - How has it come to this? We're in the 21st century, and we've got an entire toyline that's seemingly worse than Armada Side Swipe.

While I originally planned to do a review of the first wave of Power Core Combiners for Seibertron.com, that's something that no collector needs. An essay formed from my single opinion is nothing compared to you going around Seibertron.com, looking at photos of the figures or asking the general community of their opinion on a figure. It's really simple, toys are attractive to people because of their aesthetics. No one should be detered from buying a toy that they like from photos, because of one person's opinion. Especially not from a guy with hairy hands, playing around with a Transformers figure for 10:00 on Youtube with a low quality camera.

So what am I here to do? I'm here to convey the idea of Power Core Combiners. To let you know that it's more than just the toy, but also a movement. If you're not liking the sentence you just read, you probably might not want to read the rest of this article. You likely know me well already - I'm a crazed collector of Transformers: Armada, a Blurr fan, and I'm not exactly one to go along with popular trends. But no, this is not blind love for Power Core Combiners, it's a bit more like tough love. Whether you're laying the smackdown on these toys, or you love them to death, they're still just toys. And that brings us to the start of my discussion.

Toy. Toys. [toi]. Looking it up in the dictionary, obviously you'll find a definition. A bunch of English nonsense, but there's a key phrase - "for children or others to play with". I'm sure you've heard of this all before, but for those who haven't, Hasbro's target audiences are within the definition. The children, and others, which are us Transformers fans. While I wish that us Transformers fans were pushing Transformers in the direction we wanted to, it's just not there. Even if Jon Doe dishes out one grand on Transformers every month, a kid and their ever affectionate parents outnumber us. We humans just can't stop making babies. Then there's Live Action. The 2007 Transformers Movie did not only include explosions from Michael Bay, no, it exploded the Transformers into the stratosphere, and it's a fair guess to assume that alot of kids jumped on the bandwagon.

To the movie toyline in particular. Leading up to the years before it, Transformers was always a singular toy line. Everyone had to go through the disco colors of Generation 2, the clashy colors of Universe, and the cool to me, but probably not very cool to you, Transformers Armada. Now in recent years we've had collective lines sharing the Transformers name under Hasbro's brand. In 2008, there were Movie toys, Universe/Classics 2.0 and Transformers Animated. Respectively we designated the figures under the different sections of the Transformers fanbase, for the movie fans, for the faithful Generation One fans, and for the kids. But there's a big problem here. In no way should Transformers Animated should have been designated towards the children population. Yes, it was a morning cartoon, but the toys were intricate puzzles. They require a force and memory, things that some young children have yet to develop sufficiently. To top it all off, Transformers Animated probably had the worst quality control in the history of Transformers. Loose hands, sloppy paint application, basically the works. Not only is that a huge turn off for us Transformers collectors, but when a kid doesn't like, or can't even play with the Transformers toy, that opens a huge can of warms. The parent's likely going to deem Transformers for being too difficult for their son or daughter. And while the majority of some Animated figures were completely shoddy, it still was successful because of it being part of a cartoon! Fans had to complete the 'cast' or get the toy of their favorite characters. Even to this day, people are demanding figures for Animated characters that have yet to receive one!

Fast forward to 2010. It's the same as 2008 - Hunt for the Decepticons for movie fans, Generations for the G1 fans, and Power Core Combiners for the kids. I ultimately feel that Hasbro deemed that the Animated toyline was a failure, and in order for a 'kid toyline' to be successful, Power Core Combiners had to simplified. There's alot of playability, the line is really aimed for children...

..And just like Transformers: Animated and everything before it, the line has it's own cartoon! Hasbro's got the business down pact, a kid watches Huffer and his best buddy Caliburst blast down Smolder and Chopster. Then after the show's over, the young boy kindly asks his mother to take him to the toy store. Both figures are purchased so he can re-enact their battles all over the carpet floor. Wait.. something's not right there. Ah yes, I got it wrong. The kid buys a comic book, and sees Bombshock with the Combaticons, shooting down Skyburst and the Aerialbots.. Wait that's not right either.

Utterly Dumbfounded. It's been 3 months and I still can't get over the fact that Power Core Combiners has no connecting media. Not only is having no related cartoon for a major toy line breaking the trend, but having a toyline by itself is just silly to me. A single appearance in in Cyber Missions doesn't count either. Even reading Transformers Ongoing #11 got me interested in buying Generations Red Alert, Movie Firetrap (Brawn) and 2010 Takara Predaking. But for the PCCs - No toyline, no comics, no nothing. There's nothing to save this line if it's ratings fall. Compound this entire situation with the fact that the year 2010 yields no Transformers movie and no Transformers cartoon till Quarter 4 - I just see it's more likely for a child to be interested in Star Wars, Ben 10, or Iron Man. Even if a kid is a Transformers fan, I personally believe that the Movie line and Generations are alot more appealing than PCCs.

The last nine paragraphs have led to my conclusion of this situation - Transformers Power Core Combiners have purely been marketed out for children. Personally I believe that Hasbro is using this to test out if a kid-only toy line can suffice. I just don't see that this project is going to work well. An entire toyline made out of Activators wouldn't work either. Yes, maybe Power Core Combiners could work, but not at this time. Maybe in December, when it's Christmas time and toys are bought up more than fast food. Maybe next year, when Transformers 3 comes out and the Transformers buzz is back. But in the Summer of 2010, competing externally against Star Wars, Iron Man, GIJoe, and internally against Generations and Hunt For the Decepticons - PCC's at the bottom of the league, and they traded away their first round draft pick. I just don't see that there's any hope for this line.

Power Core Combiners have been engineered for younger fans, I just don't see how 21st Transformers Technology can make PCC 5-Packs look like antiques compared to their superior Generation One brothers. Is that wrong? Certainly not, I'm sure younger fans and children will enjoy these toys due to their low cost and for the reasons stated above. But to us, to the older fans, to the experienced, Seriously Hasbro? I can't even consider myself as old, but this line is a complete turn off to me - an Armada collector. These Mini-cons are a shadow compared to Targetmasters, Headmasters, and Armada Mini-cons. My fellow Seibertron.com staff member Counterpunch, a man who collects almost everything, is flabbergasted at this line.

I can put words as to why this line was created, to how we got to this point, but I've got nothing in the English dictionary to describe these toys. So, Mamma Mia! I did say that with this article, I would make sure that no one would talk bad about Power Core Combiners at BotCon 2011. I'm sorry if I came off with the intention of making your opinion of these guys to be positive. No, just let your anger and hate out now.